Citation Longitude Circles the Globe: 31,000 Nautical Miles in 31 Days

Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron, Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced the Cessna Citation Longitude has successfully circumnavigated the globe, demonstrating its commanding performance and impressive reliability to customers along the way. Throughout its world tour, the Longitude traveled more than 31,000 nautical miles, flew 27 legs and visited 12 countries.

“This far-reaching tour enabled us to fulfill the mounting demand from customers around the world to experience this stunningly capable and impressive aircraft,” said Rob Scholl, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing. “After successfully circling the globe and showcasing its outstanding performance and reliability throughout diverse regions and a wide array of environmental conditions, the Longitude reinforced its ability to suit the needs of operators worldwide.”

The Longitude commenced its world tour on January 27 when the aircraft departed Textron Aviation headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, for its Asia-Pacific debut at the Singapore Airshow. The aircraft then toured throughout the region and demonstrated its outstanding long-range performance with the 3,504-nautical mile flight from Seletar, Singapore to Sydney, Australia. Before returning to the United States, the Longitude flew throughout Europe, making stops for customers in Sweden, France, Italy, Switzerland and the U.K.

On its return flight to the United States, the Citation Longitude flew a crew of two pilots and two passengers on the 3,094-nautical-mile trip from Farnborough, U.K. (EGLF) to White Plains, New York (HPN), for a flight time of 6 hours 50 minutes and a crossing speed of Mach 0.82.

“We are extremely happy with the affirming feedback we have consistently received throughout the Longitude’s worldwide tour,” Scholl said. “With production in full swing and type certification and entry into service approaching, we look forward to introducing this superior aircraft to the market.”